Salvia nemorosa ‘Lambley Dumble’; is a herbaceous perennial, 60cmH with basal leaves and many stems of violet purple flowers in Spring and summer.
Salvia ‘Lambley Dumble’ is a very attractive Salvia if planted en masse or in a meadow planting
Flowers: are a falcate type with a large opening between the hood and the lower lobes. Being a nemorosa type, the flowers are relatively small. All parts of the flower are a violet colour. The hood is pointed upwards with a small stigma curling out and over the hood. The bottom middle lobe is cupped to hold a drop of moisture and act as a landing place for bees and other pollinating insects. The 2 side lobes are tucked neatly into the side. Interesting purple markings are seen around the throat to act as a guide for the insect to explore further into the flower.
Flowers are in whorls of 4-6 flowers, in regular spaced intervals along a tall dark square stem with tight buds at the top waiting to unfurl more flowers.
Multi flower stems appear in early spring and continue through to summer. These are held way above the foliage to attract passing pollinating insects.
Calyces: are a dark pink colour with pinkish hairs along the ribs. Each lobe is pointed Small pink pointed bracts are found beneath each whorl. These fall off once the flowers have emerged. When the flowers are finished, the calyces remain until knocked off or cut off for seed collection.
Leaves: are a mid green, a long lanceolate shape, a pointed tip with fine crenulations along the edges. As the season progresses, the leaves make a basal clump, gradually expanding producing leaves up to 10cm Long. Small sessile leaves found on the flower stem contrast well with these dark stems.
Plant in full sun or a sunny protected position, either in a row or in a mixed border with other perennials, herbaceous or evergreen or small shrubs, in hues of white, pale blues, mauves and purples. grow in groups of 3-5 plants to make a statement when in flower.Plant next to a leafy green shrub to provide a stand out show of rich purple flowers, providing a wonderful display of colour to brighten up a dull part of the garden. Once established these plants are quite tough and hardy during summer, providing they are well mulched and have the occasional additional watering during the hot dry spells of the summer season.
Not fussy with soil, but should be well drained over the winter season when the plant is dormant. If the soil is too heavy, there is a chance of the crown rotting away and not returning in the spring.
Maintenance:In autumn, when the plant is going down, becoming dormant, cut the flower stems by half, that acts as a pointer to prevent accidentally treading on the clump or accidentally being dug up. Mulch the crown well during winter to keep the root area warm, in late winter when the leaves are stirring, feed well, then when flowers begin to appear, feed again and top up the mulch to keep the root area cool over the hot summer season.
Propagation: As this is a clump forming plant, they usually produce small off shoots during the summer period, these can be gently prized off and either used as cuttings or rooted pieces to be potted up. Cuttings can be taken when growth of new spring growth is 3-4 nodes long., but seed is usually the mode of propagation for most herbaceous Salvias. Visit the propagation page for more tips.